Tag: Jesus

If You Knew, You Would Ask

John 4

April 1

Humanity has been battling social status and hierarchy since sin first ever entered the world. Humanity tends to do everything it can to climb to the top to be seen as great and to push others down. Unfortunately, this resulted in billions of people being put in a place of oppression, neglect, poverty, abuse, and all other kinds of horrors. This was also the case for the woman we read about in John 4. She was a woman, which unfortunately meant that she was a second class person in biblical times. On top of that, she was a Samaritan, which was a people who the Jews hated. As if that wasn’t enough, she wasn’t even allowed to associate with the other women due to her poor reputation. She was just about the lowest one could be in their culture.

Despite this, Jesus has a conversation with her at a well. Here is Jesus, who is culturally considered to be at the highest end of social status: male, Jew, teacher of God’s law, prophet, and even a miracle worker. Culturally, people would wonder why on earth would Jesus be around a Samaritan woman, let alone talk with her? As if that wasn’t strange enough, he even asks for a drink of water from her! He wanted to be around her, talk with her, and even ask a favor from her. This was unheard of in their day. She certainly felt this way when she asked, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”

Jesus’ response was profound, powerful, and broke every single cultural understanding she ever had, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Jesus was willing to “ruin his reputation” by talking with her, and he was even suggesting that he would give her the most precious gift of all. Jesus had no care and regard for social status, he knew it was a byproduct of a prideful, arrogant, and sinful world. He was much more interested in saving people to become God’s children.

I love the conditional phrase Jesus gives in his response, “If you knew.” If she truly understood she was talking to her Lord and Savior, she would have known it was completely okay and expected of her to humbly receive the undeserved gift of grace.

I think we would all do well to remember this story’s valuable lesson. Jesus’ love is not determined by your level of “goodness” you have achieved in the church. Jesus’ grace is not dependent on your social status in God’s kingdom. Jesus’ value for you will never change. Therefore, we ought to accept that we can’t climb up the social ladder to earn Jesus’ good graces. Instead, we need to humbly ask him for a drink of the “living water.”

-Isaac Cain


Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Do you know the gift of God? If so, how would you describe it to others – and specifically to whom will you share it? If not, who can you ask about it?
  2. How does Jesus’ example challenge us to break social, ethnic and religious norms, prejudices and barriers? How can you follow his example?
  3. Re-read the passage looking specifically at the Samaritan woman: what she does (and doesn’t do), the questions she asks and her replies. What do you think she is feeling as the story progresses? How is she an example for us?
  4. What does Jesus reveal to her? How does this information change her? Has this information changed you? Should it?
  5. What did Jesus mean when he told the disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (vs. 34)? How important is doing the will of God to you?

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Which Game Are You Playing?

John 3

March 31

If you ever wondered what an authentic and calm discussion between a Pharisee and Jesus would have looked liked, you’re in luck. That is exactly what we see here in John chapter 3. This Pharisee, named Nicodemus, thought that perhaps there truly was something special about Jesus from Nazareth and wanted to sit down to chat with him. Nicodemus was still concerned about his reputation and status with others, so he made sure he did it at night so that no one else saw him speaking to Jesus. 

Jesus had a particularly notable response when Nicodemus mentioned that he believed Jesus truly did come from God, “I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is a confusing statement to Nicodemus. Jesus clarifies, “Unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” Jesus is making a hard line in dirt that distinguishes between those who are in God’s family and those who are not. What is that line? The status of your rebirth. Are you living the life of the “flesh” or are you living the life of the “spirit”? If you’re living in the ways of sin, there is no way you can receive the kingdom of the spirit and vice versa.

I want you to imagine with me for a moment. Let’s say you’re at a track and field event full of varying sports. As you might know, there is a 1st place medal, 2nd place medal, and 3rd place medal for each event. Would you be surprised to see the first place medalist for the 400 meter dash ended up being a discus thrower? It doesn’t make sense that someone would win the medal for a game they have never played would it? Wouldn’t they receive the reward given for their specific event? 

The same goes for our eternal reward and destination. There are only two “games to play” in this event called life. We can either dedicate our lives to the ways of this world or we can dedicate our lives to the ways of God’s kingdom. Jesus gives us the warning here that we should not expect to receive the “1st place medal” of God’s kingdom if we are still playing the game “of the flesh.” Why would we ever expect for God to give his kingdom to those who reject it? He wouldn’t. We all sin and we all make mistakes, but the difference here is what game we are practicing. To be born of the spirit is to be playing a completely different game from those who are only born in the flesh.

So in these years that you have right here and right now, you have a choice to make—what game will I play and practice? Will I be born again in the spirit, pursue God, and in the end receive His kingdom? Or, will I stay in the flesh, pursue the enemy, and in the end receive eternal death? I encourage you to make the conscious and daily choice to die to yourself in order to be born of the spirit. 

-Isaac Cain

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Have you ever tried playing both the flesh and the spirit game at the same time? Explain what that might look like. What happens?
  2. What is one way you can challenge yourself to die to the flesh today? And how will you replace that with following the spirit and pursuing God?
  3. Also in this chapter, both Jesus and John say one must believe in whom to receive eternal life? What will happen to those who reject the Son? What might that look like?
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Tough Love

John 2

March 29

When you happen to see paintings of Jesus, how is he typically depicted? Often, he is shown as a tender, gentle, and soft man holding children on his lap or reaching his hand out to grab Peter’s hand while drowning. This can give us the idea that Jesus didn’t have an intense and confrontational bone in his body. Boy is that far from the truth! There is a whole other side of Jesus we often don’t depict.

The chapter starts with his first miracle: turning water into wine at a wedding. After this, the scene shifts to an exciting interaction Jesus had while in Jerusalem during the Passover feast. When he entered the temple, which was THE place of worship for the Jews, he noticed something that bothered him greatly. There were people selling oxen, sheep, and pigeons in the temple courtyard. There was even a section of people who were money changers. An entire market and part of the Jewish economy was founded on deceiving and cheating people into getting the “better sacrifices” for temple service. If you wanted to be in the presence of God and worship, you had to have money. What is even worse was they were not even trying to hide, they were out in the open in the middle of the temple! You know how we tend to feel when we see those well known televangelists who spiritually abuse or deceive people to get material wealth? That is how we should feel about what these people were doing in verse 14. 

What did Jesus do when he saw this happening? Before I answer that, I want to take a minute to depict what our culture might imagine Jesus’ answer to be based on all the soft and gentle paintings. “Oh guys, you know what, that is probably not the best course of action to take now is it? I’m not going to make you do anything, but I really hope you reflect on your actions and stop cheating people for personal wealth by means of spiritual abuse. What do you say, will you stop now? *proceeds to give them all hugs*” Sounds silly and ridiculous doesn’t it? Fortunately, we see Jesus respond quite differently:

“Making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”

Way to go, Jesus! That’s my Lord and Savior! Jesus was not the kind of man who put up with injustices and evil. Like his father, he made sure righteousness was upheld and wickedness was put to an end—one way or another. There is something important to learn from Jesus’ actions here. This wasn’t shown for us to think “Oh wow, that was a bad moment when Jesus lost his cool.” No! There is important wisdom and teaching of who God is, how His kingdom is, and how we are to act like His kingdom’s citizens. The lesson from today talks about the side of love that is not focused on enough. This is the kind of love that is not afraid to turn over tables and drive out wickedness on behalf of the cheated. This is the kind of love that is willing to say the difficult truth to someone who so desperately needs to hear it. Jesus truly is the soft and gentle image that we so often see, but he is also the table turning, whip cracking, and bold image too. 

If we are going to call Jesus our Lord, we have to note not only what he says, but what he does. In this case, we need to note that sometimes the best way to show love is to be willing to confront what is wrong. Sometimes the best way to show love is to tell someone the cold hard truth, even if it hurts in the moment. Sometimes the best way to show love is to protect those who are not able to protect themselves. This has to be done in love of course, otherwise we may become aggressive, domineering, or even violent! This type of love is a powerful fire, that if controlled by a master, is powerful; if it falls into the hands of a careless person, it can bring about disaster.

I encourage you all today to dwell and meditate on this unique account of Jesus. Think about how this was truly loving and a pursuit of justice. Then in your own life, pray for God’s wisdom to know how to appropriately handle the fire that is this bold and confrontational love. 

-Isaac Cain

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. After this event, John records, “His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.'” (John 2:17 – from Psalm 69:9) Well-done disciples for knowing your Old Testament well, and finding Jesus there! What made the temple (God’s house) such a special place for Jesus? How do you rate your zeal for the Lord’s house? How do you show it? Room for any improvements?
  2. Where else in Scripture do we find Jesus prepared to do battle? How might seeing this Jesus in the future surprise people?
  3. If Jesus visited your church or community what might he see and hear that he would have to zealously act upon? What might he do?
  4. As suggested earlier, pray for God’s wisdom to know how to appropriately handle the fire that is this bold and confrontational love. What wrong/injustice does God want you to see and be zealous about? How would he have you confront it in love – but not in weakness?
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Come and See

John 1

March 29

There is so much theology, hope, and amazing insight we could unpack from John chapter one, but I want to focus on a detail that is perhaps overlooked. At verses 35 and 36, we see that John the Baptist saw Jesus and shouted, I’m sure with plenty of excitement, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” There were two of John’s followers with him. One was Andrew, Peter’s brother. Out of joy and wonder, the disciples rushed toward Jesus and wanted to know where he was staying for the night. Jesus’ response was simple, inviting, even a little odd, “Come and you will see.” Keep that interesting response in mind. 

Later in verse 45, we see a conversation between two of Jesus’ disciples, Philip and Nathanael. With excitement, Philip is breaking the news that the promised one that Moses spoke about long ago is actually here, his name is Jesus, and he comes from Nazareth! By the way, Nazareth was a very small village that was looked at as a run down place where nothing exciting or important happened. That is why Nathaneal responds the way he does: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” How does Philip respond? “Come and see.” 

Now, I want to come back to both Jesus’ response earlier and Philip’s response to Nathanael. Jesus was just starting his ministry on earth. He knew that he needed to grow a following of people so that they could observe the things he taught and the way he lived. Jesus just met two strangers; he could have told them to stay somewhere else and come back and see him tomorrow. Instead, we see Jesus taking every opportunity he could to invite people into his life for one main purpose: so they could see what it truly means to be made in the image of God. We also get to see how Philip used this approach with Nathanael. Philip is evangelizing to his friend and he is met with skepticism. Rather than trying to make sure he had the right wording or seeing if he could win the debate about whether or not anything good can come from Nazareth, he decided to simply let the power of God, through Christ, speak for itself. “Come and see”.

That simple response speaks to the heart of how we should tell the gospel to those around us. We often are nervous when it comes to evangelism, because we too often try to sell the gospel to people rather than having the gospel sell itself! We need to remember that it is God who gives the increase, not ourselves. Rather than trying to come up with the perfect strategy, we simply need to bring people to the spot where they can “come and see” the incredible things God is already doing. I promise you whatever God has planned will be better than what you have planned. Do what Jesus did and invite people into your life in hopes they can see the Kingdom. Do what Philip did by pointing people towards the One who actually is worth seeing. The Kingdom seed’s growth is not dependent on you, but on God. All we need to do is ask others to “come and see.”

-Isaac Cain

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. How can Philip motivate you? Did he wait to introduce Nathaneal to Jesus until he knew all the details and could quote every sermon of Jesus’ backwards and forwards? How can you do the same as Philip with enthusiasm and urgency?
  2. Who do you know who needs to meet Jesus?
  3. Specifically how can you invite people into your life with the purpose of introducing them to Jesus and His Heavenly Father?
  4. Don’t wait to make the introductions until you know everything there is to know about Jesus – but how can knowing more about who He is excite you into action and evangelism? What can we find out about Jesus in this chapter – what names and titles is he given? What is the meaning of each? Does this sound like a person the world (and our family, friends and neighbors) should get to know?
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Who Gets the House?

2 Samuel 7

March 9

I love David’s heart to serve and honor the Lord. He decides it is time to build an impressive temple for God to replace the tabernacle tent which had been the symbol of God’s dwelling since the time of Moses. He tells Nathan the prophet his thoughts and Nathan gives him the go-ahead. It truly sounds like a generous and highly appropriate way to honor God. Both the king and the prophet agree – it’s time for God to get a house!

However, that night God revealed to Nathan that, no, that was not what God needed, wanted or had planned. Rather than David providing a house for the Lord God, God said “the Lord himself will establish a house for you (David):  When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.  He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.  But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.  Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:11b-16 NIV).

That’s an unexpected twist.

God doesn’t want David to build him a house. David could be disappointed or even a bit offended at God rejecting his offer and plan. Except that, God revealed a bigger and better plan. David’s son would build the house for God, but even greater, the house, kingdom and throne of David, passed down to his son would endure – forever! This was big news! A king certainly has dreams of creating an impressive dynasty – but none of them expect it to last forever. Not too many years ago David had been a shepherd boy, the youngest and least of his family line. And now he was being told he and his descendent would have a kingdom and throne that would endure forever. That’s a plan of God you don’t argue with. David gets the house.

And the really great news is that this forever house and kingdom and throne wouldn’t just benefit David and his son – but all generations could be blessed by this, including you and I and our children. For this promise for David (often referred to as the Davidic Covenant), was pointing to the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of David. His coming was prophesied as fulfilling this covenant (Isaiah 9:6,7). The virgin Mary was told, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:31-33). Born in the line of David (Matthew 1:6), Jesus was worshiped as a king by the wise men (Matthew 2:2, 11). He taught of a kingdom, and he was crucified as the King of the Jews. But that is not where the story ends. Forever is still coming.

Before his death, Jesus said – “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31). The disciples were looking forward to this time and after his resurrection, just before his ascension, they asked him if that was when the kingdom would be restored. Jesus replied that the time was not for them to know – but that in the meantime they were to be his witnesses. Then Jesus ascended to heaven in the clouds, and the angels promised he would return in the same way. (Acts 1:6-11)

We are still waiting for the return of the Son of David/Son of Man who is also the Son of God. At Jesus’ spectacular return to earth, all the final steps will be set into motion – resurrection of the dead, judgment, the defeat of the Evil One, and the beginning of the perfect kingdom prepared for the resurrected, faithful children of God which will last forever. Can you imagine the smile on resurrected David’s face and the joy in his heart when that day comes? God’s plan and timing is always better than man’s. No – David didn’t build a house for God as he wanted. But, God is building a house through David’s family line, through Jesus Christ. Will you have a place in this house, in this kingdom that will last forever?

-Marcia Railton

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Can you think of any time (past or present) where you were wanting to honor God, but perhaps it wasn’t the way He wanted you to be serving Him at that time? How do we avoid serving God the way WE want to serve Him, rather than the way HE wants us to serve Him?
  2. Do a little Bible research on the kingdom that will last forever. Where will it be? When? Who is reigning? Who is included? Who is not included? (If you want some specific verses to start your research, leave a note in the comments.)
  3. As we wait for Jesus’ return, how will you be a witness? Who else needs to hear about the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant?
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In Your Weakness

Exodus 4

February 10

God is the very epitome of a patient and loving father in the beginning of this scenario. Moses is feeling very insecure and inept for the task God has called him to do. I personally can really relate to Moses’ fear and apprehension when it comes to public speaking. God doesn’t respond with anger or derision in this moment with something along the lines of “Don’t be ridiculous Moses! You are speaking to the God of the universe here. I’ve got you covered.” Instead, He very patiently answers Moses’ questions and actually gives him a step-by-step game plan of how to carry out his mission. 

Even with this carefully thought out plan so carefully and lovingly delivered to him, Moses is still overcome by his own anxiety and insecurity.

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Moses still doesn’t seem to get the point God is making. Even after He assures him that He will be with him to help him speak and will teach him what to say, Moses has the audacity to tell the God of the universe no!  13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” The audacity! But, wait?!? Have I been like Moses in my life more than I care to admit? Do we let our own fears and insecurities keep us from carrying out our God-given missions? Do they overshadow our confidence in God and His abilities? Are we ultimately saying that we don’t believe that God is up to the task?

Disobedience is dangerous! We read in verses 24-16:  24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

Moses knew the requirements for circumcision and he also knew that the God of the universe was calling him to complete a task and he had been disobedient in both regards. Genesis 17:12: “And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.”

I am not sure if this scene was in any way a reference to Jesus being a bridegroom of blood to us, but it certainly came to mind for me. What a gift that Jesus’ blood covers our sins and we are given a chance at new hope!

Getting back to Moses’ insecurity and lack of belief that he could carry out what God called him to do. While reading this chapter, I called to mind Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 concerning the thorn of his flesh,

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What a comforting reminder that we can actually boast in our weaknesses because Christ’s power is actually made perfect in our weakness. We don’t have to have it all together, God meets us right where we are and equips us as He sees fit in order for us to carry out his missions. Trust Him!

-Kristy Cisneros

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Have you ever felt led to do something for God but shrinked back because you were afraid you were not good enough for the task? What would God tell you?
  2. What are some ways that we can use our weaknesses to glorify God and honor Christ? What strengths will be provided?
  3. How did Zipporah and Aaron each add to or compliment Moses’ ministry? How have you been a help to the spiritual life and work of another?
  4. What will you learn from Moses’ example that you can put into action this week to help ensure that you will participate fully in God’s plans for you? What excuses will you overcome? What does God want to teach you what to say? Who may God be calling to be on your team in ministry?

Tomorrow we will skip ahead to Exodus 12

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This one is tricky, sort of.

Matthew 22

January 22

Like the parable of the tenants from the previous chapter, the parable of the wedding banquet illustrates how God has and continues to call out to His people. Yet time after time they reject Him with many of His prophets dying at the hands of the Israelites. This is a bit of foreshadowing on Jesus’ part as the Jewish leaders would soon call for his death.

Although Jesus was speaking to the people of his own day and their situations, verses 11-14 could just as easily be directed at our current age. A fine dining restaurant today will provide the loan of a suit jacket during the meal and the king would have provided the loan of the required garments for his banquet. The man not accepting the clothes and refusing to answer the king are deliberate acts. Here we see, in parable form, a man standing boldly defiant before God. How often do we see people doing this same thing today?

As difficult as that is, what we find after the parable is where it gets really tricky, or rather where they get tricky. The Jewish leaders were constantly trying to trip up Jesus, to find some flaw or inconsistency in what he taught. Naturally, they failed every time.

A major issue that they had with Jesus as the Messiah and why they did not accept him as such goes back to their expectations. The Messiah was supposed to be this mighty king who would save them all from the oppression of the worldly rulers. They expected a return to the earthly kingdom of Israel while God’s plan for Jesus was to establish His heavenly kingdom here on earth.

Their question about paying taxes was a challenge to his supposed authority. It was kind of a, “If you are the king then we should be able to tell Caesar to take a hike.” How Jesus responded was probably the last thing they expected. It says that they were “amazed” and we might think, “Wow!” but it is just as likely that it was a disbelief, shaking of their head as they walked away.

There are a number of Scriptures that tell us that God sets each ruler in place for His purposes. Jesus makes clear that we give to the worldly rulers what is due to them – the material things that are of the world and will decay and be gone. He then says to give to, “God what is God’s.” What is God’s? Everything! Specifically? Our love, adoration, praise, worship, attention, focus, our faith, our very life. These things, what is God’s, will endure. These things matter.

Then a group that did not believe in resurrection tried to trick Jesus concerning marriage. It says that they were astonished by his answer. I think about them standing completely speechless with their mouths hanging open. What really prompted that reaction was his description of God, quoting from Exodus 3:6, “I am the God…” and the revelation that “He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” By adding that Jesus reminded them that God did not speak in past tense but in the present. He did not say, “I was.” This points to the resurrection, to new life.

The rivals to this group were probably very pleased to see them stupefied and stepped in with their own question. “Which is the greatest commandment?” Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy and Leviticus to beautifully sum up all of the Law. “Love the Lord your God” – the first four of the Ten Commandments are about our relationship with God. “Love you neighbor” the remaining six commandments are about our relationship with one another.

Each time they tried to trick Jesus, they failed. Jesus responds to every inquiry and deception with Scripture and they are said to be astonished, amazed, and in awe. Then it is Jesus’ turn. He asks whose son the Messiah is. Knowing that the Messiah would come from the line of David it is a no-brainer to say David. Jesus then reminds them of Psalm 110:1, “The LORD said to my Lord.” LORD is God – Yahweh who is speaking to David’s Lord, or one greater than David and not his son. This points to Jesus as the Son of God which shuts their mouths once and for all, “No one dared to ask him any more questions.”

Trickery is the weapon of the devil. It is used to cause doubts to rise. Trickery makes us question what we know and believe. We are bombarded constantly with misinformation and attempts to shift reality to fit feelings and desire. Jesus faced these same challenges and responded confidently with the truth contained in the Word of God. I pray that we all follow his example.

-Jeff Ransom

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. The best way to avoid bad situations is knowing how to recognize them. What subtle ways do you see people, corporations, etc. standing defiantly before God? The ungodly may use what points to God to deceive people. What evidence of this have you seen?
  2. Remember that God places all authorities in place; from our parents, teachers, supervisors, politicians, etc. What are some things that we ought to give back to these authorities? I already mentioned what is God’s but what does that look like in your own life?
  3. The truth in God’s Word, as I mentioned, is vital to staying true to God and not being deceived. What are some other ways that you can be prepared to defend against the trickery of the world? And remember to always temper your discernment with love.
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By What Authority?

Matthew 21

January 21

This chapter begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and ends with two parables. Honestly, it seems like it is all over the place. But wait! God is going to reveal something amazing to us.

As Jesus enters the holy city, Matthew notes that prophecy has been fulfilled. God illuminated His plan of salvation through His many prophets over the years and it is all coming to pass (Isaiah 62:11, Zechariah 9:9). Even as the people are asking to be saved and shouting Jesus’ praise, they are reciting passages of the Old Testament (Psalm 118:25-26, Deuteronomy 18:15).

Then we get to the action sequence that we all know and love; Jesus flipping tables and kicking people out of the temple. Maybe it is because it seems so far out of his nature that we recall these verses so easily. Yet it is not outside of his nature. As a matter of fact, the anger he displayed in the temple was a reflection of his Father’s righteous anger. These people were defiling what was holy to God. Our Almighty God had, Himself, displayed such righteous anger in the past whenever man’s sins had gone too far. These men had certainly gone too far and Jesus was not going to stand for it.

Jesus was sure to reveal the motives behind his actions; he quoted from Isaiah and Jeremiah so that they would know their sins. In doing this they knew that, whoever this man might be, they were in the wrong. Additionally, Jesus welcomed the blind and lame in and healed them. Normally, they would not be allowed into the temple but Jesus invited them in. As children cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Jesus answered those who opposed him by quoting the Psalms. This seems to have quieted them for now.

Even in the midst of causing a fig tree to wither we find references to the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. Jesus speaks about prayer and faith but there is another lesson here. Even though the tree was full of leaves it would not bear fruit. It was already dead; it just did not know it. This is the ungodly, those who curse and reject God.

Jesus returns to the temple where things start to come together. The chief priests and elders of the people demanded to know by what, or rather whose, authority he did these things. Finally, we are getting to the point! But Jesus does not tell them. Why? Why are you doing this to us? Why will you not answer the question? It is simple; because they already knew but refused to admit it.

Throughout these verses Jesus’ authority was questioned. Every time they questioned him; Jesus answered with God’s Word. All that was written concerning him was unfolding right in front of them. This made the two parables in this chapter sting even more. As dumb as the chief priests and elders of the people were, they were smart enough to recognize that the father and landowner both reference God.

They should have also recognized themselves in the second son and the portrayal of the tenants. They have been tasked with leading God’s people but instead they sacrificed His ways for what would benefit them most now. They asked by whose authority and received the one answer that they dreaded most: God!

So what is this amazing thing that God is revealing to us? That Jesus was given all authority by God Himself? Well, yes! If you are asking yourself why this matters or what it has to do with you I want you to think about this, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

God, our Heavenly Father, the Creator of the heavens and earth gave all authority to Jesus who in turn commanded us to do these things! That means that we do not witness to others by our own power or authority. That is a relief because I struggle every time to even open my mouth let alone know what to say to people. First, I feel uncomfortably self-conscious. How will they react or respond? What if they get angry, ridicule me, or even turn violent? Then, and I think this is the worst, I tend to go blank. I have no idea what to say or what I am even thinking at that point.

It is going blank that I used to worry about. Looking at my recent conversations though I realize that going blank is exactly what He wanted. It is when I go blank that God’s Word, which I have studied and stored up in my heart and mind, comes to the forefront. His Word, even when I do not have it memorized for perfect recitation, is always on the tip of my tongue. Of course, that means I have to actually read my Bible for God to bring it out in my life. Be prepared and willing to be led. Then we will be better able to recognize the authority which guides and drives us.

-Jeff Ransom

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Are you prepared to give an answer for your faith?  What is your story of redemption, how have you come to know God through His Son, Jesus? Is your faith tied to God’s Word?
  2. How is your temper? Do you ever find yourself getting mad, frustrated, or angry at others whether for “good” reason or not? Did you know that the biggest difference between our anger and God’s is that His anger is tempered with love, grace, and mercy?
  3. Have you submitted to the authority God gave Jesus? If you have not, why? What is keeping you from knowing the fullness of our heavenly Father’s love? If you have, what does actively submitting to His authority look like in your life?
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

Not Fair!

Matthew 20

January 20

That is not fair!

Have you ever found yourself saying this very same thing? A coworker or classmate does not seem to be doing their share of the work but they get the same pay or grade as you, maybe even better. Maybe you say it when nothing seems to be going your way; car troubles, relationships fractured, bad grades, your sanity cracking. We all experience situations that make us want to scream at what we perceive as an unjust life.

But what makes one thing fair and another unfair?

In Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard, everyone was paid the same. Is that not fair? The first workers agreed to a set amount, reasonable pay for a day’s labor. The other workers only agreed to work for what was right. They left it to the discretion of the landowner. In his generosity the most recent hires received what he had promised the original workers. Those who were hired first said nothing as the landowner began to dole out the money. Because of his generosity towards the newer workers, they expected more.

And that is the key concept that strains so many aspects of our life; what we expect. Our expectations make it difficult sometimes to see God answering our prayers or His hand actively working in our lives. Our expectations may set us up for failure in our schools, our jobs, our relationships with one another, and certainly in our relationship with God through Jesus. If our expectations are not met then, “I guess I did not really need to learn that,” “It will not matter in the ‘real’ world,” “I will just find a new job,” “I do not need anyone else.”

Our expectations, our limited understanding of all that is makes us think that God must have failed to answer our prayers, He is not here with us, He does not care. The reality is that could not be farther from the truth! God loves us all! He is with us in every moment but rarely how we would expect.

This parable has a double lesson to teach. The first is that God is just. God alone rightly discerns what is fair and unfair. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). If we truly want life to be fair, we would all be dead the first time that we sinned. If that were the case, I doubt that humanity would exist and we would not even be here to debate the fairness of life.

God’s justice is tempered by His abundant love. In His love for us He is merciful and forgiving. Those who come to God through Jesus, will all receive the same wage when the days are done: eternal life and citizenship in God’s Kingdom, to be called His children!

This message is reiterated as Jesus addresses the request of James and John’s mother. They have an expectation of their place in God’s Kingdom and their mother wants assurance that it will be so; after all they were among the first disciples to be called by Jesus. Jesus answered this question through the parable before it could even be asked, and still it was asked.

The second lesson to learn from the parable takes us to Matthew 9:35-38 and 28:18-20. We are the workers, called to go out into all of the world and make disciples of all the nations. We have been given a task, a responsibility, a privilege to live our life for God and preach the Good News of His Coming Kingdom so that everyone would have the opportunity to choose to come to Him through Jesus, our savior!

This is not easy but it is immensely satisfying. What we do and say here in this age can open people’s eyes to see the glorious future our amazing God has planned for all who enter His vineyard. We may never give the physically blind back their sight but thanks to God’s love and power we can heal the spiritual blindness of those we encounter each day. Rely on God’s power, His plan, and His will. Trust in Him with all of your heart, soul, and mind and rejoice in knowing that the God of all creation will wipe away your tears and call you son or daughter!

-Jeff Ransom


Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What are your expectations of God as you pray? Do you have a preconceived notion of what an answered prayer looks like? Can you think of times when you missed His answer initially only to see it later on?
  2. Do you see circumstances in your life as being unfair? Think about how they might be helping you to grow stronger in your relationship with others and especially with God through Jesus. It is difficult sometimes but how can you turn your view of these circumstances around? Our response to situations is often more powerful than the situation itself.
  3. What does your work within the vineyard look like? How are you working to spread the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus and the Coming Kingdom of God? Is there someone specific that you can think of who is blind to God’s love? How can you help them to finally see?
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

How to Get Eternal Life

Matthew 19

January 19

“And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Matt.19:26)

This is a verse we hear as encouragement incredibly often. From hearing someone reference it, to seeing it posted on social media. But until recently, I hadn’t dug into the meaning behind this verse. 

This verse comes from the story of the rich young ruler- a story I had heard before, but never knew it’s correlation to Matt. 19:26. A young man approached Jesus and asked him what he must do to be saved. Jesus responds with, “Keep the Commandments”. After this, he asked Jesus which ones are the most important and Jesus responds with, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother and you shall love your neighbor as yourself”(Matt.19:18, 19)

The man says he’s done all these things but he is still lacking, and asks what he must do, and Jesus responds to him by saying, “Give up your wealth.”

The man is much grieved by this, and Jesus tell his disciples that it is nearly impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom. They ask, “Then how can one enter?”  To which Jesus responded,

  “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

I believe this deeper understanding in context gives the verse a completely different connotation. It is that we are sinners, we are broken , and we are not worthy of the kingdom; but with God, and his amazing glory, we may enter.

-Julia Simon

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. How does wealth and material possessions get in the way of our relationship with God and even our salvation, or entrance into eternal life? What did the rich young ruler love most? What does Jesus say we ought to love? (in this passage and any others)
  2. Besides wealth and things money buys, what else can get in the way? Is there anything you are holding onto too tightly, making it more important to you than entering the Kingdom of God?
  3. What is impossible for people? Does this mean we should give up and not try to follow the commandments? What is possible for God? Does this mean everyone will enter eternal life regardless of what they have loved? Why or why not?
  4. The disciples had given up much to follow Jesus and Jesus said they would be rewarded. What have you already given up? What might God be asking you to give up?
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload